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Graduate Internship with SADA

Register for Your Internship

Every SADA graduate student must complete 6 field experience credit hours to graduate (includes ARTS 599 Internship, ARTS 598 Practicum, and ARTS 596 Teaching Art in Higher Education). Please review the Internship/Practicum Workshop information before you proceed.


Internship Information

Internships are field experience opportunities where you will work under a site supervisor for 180 contact hours for a 3-credit course. You will complete tasks as requested by the site supervisor and report on your experiences through journals, reflection assignments, and evaluations.


Credit Hours

A 3-credit hour internship requires that you work at least 180 hours.

  • You may choose to register for an internship for more than 3 credit hours. Up to 6 credit hours are allowed.
  • Each additional credit hour (over 3) adds 60 hours of work to your internship requirements.
  • Additional internship credit hours can be used to fulfill upper-level elective requirements on your Degree Completion Plan (DCP).

Internship credit hours must be completed within your degree. Internships must be completed during the semester in which you are registered for the course. Additionally, you cannot receive credit for an internship that you have completed but were not registered for prior to interning.


Extended Internships

You may find that you like your internship so much that you want to continue for more than one semester. If so, you will need to fill out a separate contract for each additional semester you want course credit.


Finding an Internship

We recommend that all students contact the Career Center to start the process of looking for internships – this is your first point of contact. They can help equip you with the resources needed to locate a suitable internship opportunity. Look for the appointment link to request an appointment with a Career Counselor.

The Career Center has made it even easier for you to connect with professionals in your area and around the world. It is recommended that you visit our Career Fairs. Here you’ll have access to Liberty University’s ever-expanding network of professionals looking for new talent. This is an excellent opportunity for you to network and learn what positions are available. The Career Center website contains information for all Liberty talent, including residential, online, and alumni. All students have access to Career Counselors as well. Residential students meet in person, and online students have exclusive rights to phone appointments.

Additionally, the Career Center has created a resource for internship opportunities through Handshake, a cloud-based solution that connects students and alumni with career opportunities and events. Handshake has more than 500 schools and over 9 million students and alumni in its network. 250,000+ employers and Fortune 500 companies actively use Handshake to recruit. You can find internships as well as full-time positions through Handshake.

You may acquire a position outside of the Career Center; however, there is important information you will need pertaining to paid and unpaid positions. In general, if you intern with a For-profit company/organization you should be paid at least minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) for all contact hours. Non-paid exceptions regarding For-profit internships can be found by reviewing Fact Sheet #71 through an internet search. Non-profits and government entities are exempt from the minimum wage payment requirement, but some of these are starting to pay as well. Whether your internship is paid or not, the experience is what you are looking for, so measure carefully as to what you will gain through the experience when considering an internship.


Internship Site Responsibilities

You must be directly supervised by a site supervisor who has a degree in your area of study or has considerable documented experience in the given field – at least 3-5 years of experience.

  • A virtual internship is acceptable. Site supervisor means a physical employer, so the activity between the employer and the student can be online/remote interaction if this is the method in which the company/organization conducts their business.
  • The company/organization must provide enough work to fill the work hour requirements agreed upon in the contract.
  • Your site supervisor must agree to give feedback about your experience filling out a mid and final evaluation.

Internship Eligibility

To be eligible for an internship, you must have:

  • 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Declared a degree (studio art or graphic design) within the SADA department
  • Completed 24 hours within your degree

Adding Your Internship Class (Residential)

The process for registration is unique and there are specific steps that you must follow before you can gain entry. The internship has an academic hold so that no student can register like a normal class. Upon successful completion of a contract, your faculty internship advisor will send a registration request to have you added to the class.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Secure your internship/practicum. You must have secured an internship/practicum before completing any paperwork.
  2. Go to: https://liberty.joinhandshake.com
  3. At the top of the page, click on “Career Center.” This will take you to the Liberty page. Click on “Experiences,” and then click “Submit an Experience” at the top right.  In the “Experience Type” drop-down menu, click on the appropriate form: SCA – SADA RESIDENTIAL Internship/Practicum. Follow the instructions on the form, and answer it in its entirety. Submit your form when you are finished. NOTE: Your site supervisor will be contacted to approve your form by the email address that you list for him/her on the Handshake form. Therefore, make sure the address is accurate, and remind your supervisor to check their inbox (including spam and junk) for the Handshake form.
  4. Once your Handshake form is submitted, your site supervisor will need to approve it, your faculty internship/practicum coordinator and advisor will need to approve it, and lastly, the department chair will need to approve it. Once all digital signatures are submitted, your course will be added.

Residential Registration Deadlines

  • Summer internship – third Friday in April (contact faculty internship advisor in advance)
  • Fall internship – third Friday in April (contact faculty internship advisor in advance)
  • Spring internship – third Friday in November (contact faculty internship advisor in advance)

*Because the prerequisite approvals and contract take time to complete, you need to give yourself plenty of time to register. Contact Christopher Phillips at csphillips4@liberty.edu with any questions.


Adding Your Internship Course (LUO)

The process for registration is unique and there are specific steps that you must follow before you can gain entry:

Here’s what you do:

  1. Secure your internship/practicum. You must have secured an internship/practicum before completing any paperwork.
  2. Go to: https://liberty.joinhandshake.com
  3. At the top of the page, click on “Career Center.” This will take you to the Liberty page. Click on “Experiences,” and then click “Submit an Experience” at the top right.  In the “Experience Type” drop-down menu, click on the appropriate form: SCA – SADA LUO Internship/Practicum. Follow the instructions on the form, and answer it in its entirety. Submit your form when you are finished. NOTE: Your site supervisor will be contacted to approve your form by the email address that you list for him/her on the Handshake form. Therefore, make sure the address is accurate, and remind your supervisor to check their inbox (including spam and junk) for the Handshake form.
  4. Once your Handshake form is submitted, your site supervisor will need to approve it, your faculty internship/practicum coordinator and advisor will need to approve it, and lastly, the department chair will need to approve it. Once all digital signatures are submitted, your course will be added.

LUO Registration Deadlines

For all deadlines, see the LUO academic calendar. Contact Advising luoadvising@liberty.edu with any questions.

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